"Saguaro cactuses sort of stand like soldiers, guarding the state. They're very majestic. Live for hundreds of years. And are incredibly painful if approached the wrong way. Saguaro National Park is off I-10 outside Tucson on the way to Phoenix. It's kind of odd that there's a park for saguaro, in the sense that there are saguaro everywhere. And there's the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is, I think, the largest natural habitat zoo. It's a pretty amazing place. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, javelinas, anything that can exist in the desert is there in big numbers."

Lodging
"I've stayed at the Arizona Biltmore, which is one of the earlier hotels in Phoenix. Great restaurants. The swimming pools are spaced out throughout the resort, so it's not like everyone congregates in one spot. It's just a very well-laid-out resort. Great golf course. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is beautiful, too. The Phoenician is a little ostentatious, with sort of a Vegasy flair, but it's still beautifully done. Or you can spend a night at The Boulders in Carefree. When you hear about a place called The Boulders, you think, Oh, I wonder how they came to that particular title. Upon arriving, you'll realize it is just what it says: It's boulders - a hotel perched in the middle of this really unique setting. Great golf there, as well."

Sights
"I've climbed Camelback Mountain. I read a story that somebody actually got stuck or lost up there, and I was kind of baffled by that. It's nothing like Mount Lemmon; it doesn't have that kind of altitude. Some people do some pretty amazing rock climbing on Camelback, me not being one of them. But it's a pretty spot and a great vantage point to see a lot of different parts of Phoenix."

Shopping